Micro Habits to Improve Your Work Life
Are you ready to jump back into work after the Christmas break (I say ‘break’… when December 25th falls on a Wednesday it’s more of a disruption than a break)? Most of us will have muttered a quiet mantra as the new year got underway about improving at least one aspect of our personal lives.
But how about changes in the way you live your life at work? How about starting this new year off with a call to bring a bit of positivity to those around you. Stay with me, because those changes can bring positive effects for you too.
While the focus is often on the big changes one can make, this article takes a look at the small things that make a difference in the form of micro-habits and behaviours which take little effort but, added together, can have a big effect.
The notion of ‘micro-behaviour’ was popularised by the research of psychologist Mary Rowe in the 1970s. She studied the positive and negative impacts of ‘small events’, which people project, and how they impact on those around them. A basic example is how wishing someone a simple good morning or holding open a door leaves a small yet positive impact on others.
If you left the office in 2024 with elements of the grinch creeping into your behaviour then you are perfectly set to experiment and see if positive micro-behaviours and new micro-habits will actually make a difference on your return. Spoiler alert: They do.
We’ve all been in those wonderful situations where a po-faced unsmiling environment is suddenly changed. That moment in a lift when something said or done brings a sudden lightness. Children and animals are very good at melting an icy atmosphere in reactive spontaneity that sums up what everybody else is thinking. Stony faced masks crack and are replaced with smiles all round.
And that’s my first suggestion – smile more and see where it takes you. It’s the simplest thing to do and the reaction is immediate. Receiving a friendly smile lifts anyone’s day and is almost always reciprocated. It can communicate better than any words, and produce instant empathy. But the key is in the smile being natural. By contrast an enforced smile, where the lips move but the rest of the face remains implacable, has the opposite effect.
Another good micro-habit to work on is proactivity around using names, particularly in conversation. Research around this topic has revealed that hearing your name in the flow of conversation (“I was thinking about that point you made Maria…”) gives you a dopamine hit and an enhanced sense of engagement.
In the same way, eye contact and always being present in the company of others – and giving them, rather than your phone, your full attention is affirming for the person speaking not to mention simple good manners. On that, don’t even glance at the phone when listening to someone else.
I have written before about how someone people can lighten a room with their presence. A driving force behind this is enthusiasm. Use it and reap the rewards. Pessimism and talking things down is so much easier, but enthusiasm is what lifts others around you and is especially effective when there is a collective challenge to be faced. Be the radiator not the drain.
Micro-habits can enhance your working day relations too. Some of the dividends will come further down the line, but practising micro-habits will win you friends. We ask people for things all the time, but we don’t get a response all the time. A good example is an email request. A recent study that revealed two thirds of people admit to ignoring emails at work.
There’ a simple win here! Just be one of the ones that does get back to the sender promptly and follows up enquiries.
Business is based on relationships. Relationships are built on good communication. Good communication builds trust. Showing more interest in those around you will improve relationships around you.
Often when I’m asked ‘how was your weekend’ I struggle to think of something exciting to say, but I always appreciate that someone has made the effort to ask. Give the enquiry it’s due and respond with more than a perfunctory ‘good thanks, you?’ You don’t have to give a minute-by-minute account of the full 48 hours, but something, anything, will do and if you are the questioner, genuinely be interested otherwise don’t bother to enquire.
I will conclude by adding to that last point. People like the fact that other people notice them and these interactions make us feel good about ourselves. If we are likeable we are more likely to be successful in what we do, in work as in life. So if you’re missing a resolution on your list for this new year, give a change in micro-habits some attention. You can start today.
